[music]

Alexa Smith: Hello. I'm Alexa Smith. Tonight, performances by finalists of the Concert Artists Guild competition on this edition of the McGraw Family's Young Artists Showcase.

[music]

Alexa Smith: Since 1978, the Young Artists Showcase has been generously underwritten by the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation. Today, we'll hear music from the finalists of the Concert Artists Guild's Louis and Susan Meisel Competition. Since 1951, the Concert Artists Guild has helped to launch the careers of more than 500 young performers.

Winners of the prestigious Meisel Competition receive comprehensive management support, New York performances, concert bookings, and professional career development and coaching. This year's winners are violinist Nathan Amaral, cellist Leland Ko, saxophonist Valentin Kovalev, and the Poiesis Quartet. Let's start with violinist Nathan Amaral performing Sonata Fantasia No. 1, Désespérance by Villa-Lobos. [MUSIC - Villa-Lobos: Sonata Fantasia No. 1, "Désespérance" - Nathan Amaral, violin; Sophiko Simsive, piano]

[applause]

Alexa Smith: Violinist Nathan Amaral with Fantasia No. 1, "Désespérance" by Villa-Lobos. He's joined by pianist Sophiko Simsive. As a grand prize winner in this year's competition, Nathan joins the rosters of the Concert Artists Guild and the Young Classical Artists Trust. I had the pleasure of seeing Nathan this past January in Detroit when he was the first-prize winner of the Sphinx Competition Senior Division. He's originally from Brazil and shared an early memory in his musical career on the stage that evening.

Nathan Amaral: I have very strong memories about my beginning because I started when I was 12. Growing up with music was never something I had to do, something that was outside input. It was more from inside, so every memory I have just from the beginning, from picking up the instrument and finding something so curious about this crazy piece of wood that can make sound and express ourselves the way that words cannot. I had a lot of fun discovering about the music, and I just loved it first sight.

Alexa Smith: The Louis and Susan Meisel Competition offers a variety of opportunities to its winners. In addition to management, musicians also receive a New York debut performance and participation in Citizen Music Bootcamp, which encourages musicians to leverage the power of culture through their work. Next, we'll hear from another winner from the evening, cellist Leland Ko. Here is his performance of Haydn's Divertimento in D major Menuet, followed by Schumann's Abendlied Op. 85, No. 12.

[MUSIC - Haydn (arr. Piatigorsky): Divertimento in D Major, II. Menuet - Leland Ko, cello; Adria Ye, piano]

[MUSIC - Schumann: Abendlied, Op. 85, No. 12 - Leland Ko, cello; Adria Ye, piano]

[applause]

Alexa Smith: That was competition winner cellist Leland Ko and pianist Adria Ye with a Menuet from Haydn's Divertimento in D major. It was followed by Schumann's Abendlied Opus 85. No. 12. Leland was a finalist in the 2024 Louis and Susan Meisel competition. Leland also shared an early musical memory from the stage.

Leland Ko: I was born and raised in the Boston area, and Boston is one of the bigger youth orchestra cities in the US that I'm aware of. They have now three fully operational and frequently touring youth orchestras. I was so lucky to be in one of these when I was maybe 14 or 15. We were going on tour in the Netherlands playing Mahler's 2nd. I don't know. As a small person when you're first playing cello and maybe cello with piano, there's only so much sound that can consume you.

Not that volume is everything, but I think just the experience of playing them all or two in a church at-- I think it was like 11:00 PM or something in the summer, so there was still sunlight coming through the stained glass and everything. Then just being surrounded by, for those of you familiar with Mahler's symphonies, maybe Mahler 2nd in particular, just how it takes over your entire body, it was a very core memory moment for me, I think.

Alexa Smith: Next, let's hear from another finalist. Here's pianist Yun Janice Lu with the first movement from Janácek's In the Mists.

[MUSIC - Janácek: In the Mists, I. Andante - Yun Janice Lu, piano]

[applause]

Alexa Smith: Pianist Yun Janice Lu with the first movement of Janácek's In the Mists. You're listening to the McGraw Family's Young Artists Showcase on WQXR. I'm Alexa Smith, and today we're featuring music from the 2024 Louis and Susan Meisel Competition finals presented by the Concert Artists Guild. Let's take a quick break now, then I'll be back with more performances from the talented finalists here on the McGraw Family's Young Artist Showcase. Welcome back. I'm Alexa Smith. Today we're celebrating finalists of the Concert Artists Guild's 2024 Louis and Susan Meisel Competition. Next, we'll hear music from another winner, saxophonist Valentin Kovalev with Steven Banks' As I Am.

[MUSIC - Steven Banks: As I Am for baritone saxophone and piano - Valentin Kovalev, saxophone; Yoni Levyatov, piano]

[applause]

Alexa Smith: Saxophonist Valentin Kovalev with Steven Banks' As I Am. Next, we'll hear from cellist Amelia Zitoun with the first movement from Nadia Boulanger's Three Pieces for Cello and Piano.

[MUSIC - Nadia Boulanger: Trois Pièces pour Violincelle et Piano - Amelia Zitoun, cello; Luis Ortiz, piano] [applause]

Alexa Smith: Finalist Amelia Zitoun with the first movement from Nadia Boulanger's Three Pieces for Cello and Piano. She's joined by pianist Luis Ortiz. We have just enough time for one more piece. Here's Nathan Amaral again with his prize-winning performance of Debussy's Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major.

[MUSIC - Debussy: Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major, I. Allegro vivo - Nathan Amaral, violin; Sophiko Simsive, piano]

[applause]

Alexa Smith: An award-winning performance by Brazilian violinist Nathan Amaral with pianist Sophiko Simsive. We heard Debussy's Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major. That's a wrap for this week's edition of the McGraw Family's Young Artists Showcase, which is generously underwritten on WQXR by the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation. Here's Terry McGraw with more.

Terry McGraw: I know it sounds a little cliché to say that music is international, but it really truly is for the Young Artists Showcase. We have helped develop young musicians that literally participate all around the world. No wonder we all are so proud of Young Artists Showcase and so pleased that you can enjoy these superb programs with all of us every week on WQXR.

Alexa Smith: Thank you, Terry. Many thanks to WQXR program producers Laura Boyman and Max Fine. Our generous program underwriter is the Harold W. McGraw, Jr Family Foundation. I'm Alexa Smith. Goodnight.

[MUSIC - Debussy: Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor, I. Allegro vivo - Nathan Amaral, violin; Sophiko Simsive, piano]

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